How are you, guys

I have 2 rifles with DI system, but wanted to get into piston system ARs, since I love 5.56 platform.

I run adjustable gas blocks on both of my rifles, and I also have silent spring by JP enterprises on both rifles. Recoil is minimal.
How would you say Adams Arms compares to a DI system rifle with adjustable gas block. What is a percentage difference in kick with Adams Arms piston rifles?

Judging from videos on Youtube is rather hard, because people don't know how to control recoil for most part, and that rifles is bouncing up and down like an AK half the time, and I'm always amazed how much recoil they have on 5.56 rifle. When I fire mine, on video, I see minimal movement.

I use compensators on both rifles (radial comps).

Piston systems are appealing for less cleaning and gas expelled to the front instead of rear, so you are not eating gas vapors all day. After I go home, I can taste gunpowder in my throat, and hair smells like gunpowder even after a shower

I wonder how much more recoil you have with that piston system cycling back and forth.
I have a theory that AK's recoil is accented by the piston system moving back and forth, not just the caliber.

Wondering if it's worth it to get a piston AR.
I like mag dumps, but accurate mag dumps from AR.

Can someone that owns both the DI system with adjustable gas block and piston Adams Arms AR explain the difference in kick?

Some videos of Adams Arms show quite a huge kick, but it goes back to the shooter's recoil management, that cannot be shown in comparison to DI system.
When I first started shooting, my recoil management was bad, because I didn't use the cheek as fourth point of contact. Nowadays I tuck in the rifle way into the shoulder using vertical grip/c-clamp style, but never fired a piston AR.

i think it comes down to whether the gun is gassed correctly.  if a DI gun is overgassed (I know you said adj GB), you have more recoil, same applies to a piston gun.  AA has a low-profile P-series gas block that is adjustable, 5 settings.

and if you have an effective brake on the gun, then regardless of whether it's piston, or DI, the recoil is less.  These are universal truths.

on most of my AA piston guns, I've been able to get it " just right" by tuning the recoil with the normal AR-15 buffers, std, H, up to H3.  on my 7.62x39 rifles (piston or DI), I like to set the gas so that it cycles correctly with the H3 buffer.  My preference.  if it's undergassed, I drill the gas port larger.  if it's overgassed, then an adjustable gas block, or gas block port restrictors.  I do this whether it's piston or DI.  same principles.

if it's tuned correctly, piston vs DI, not sure if the shooting felt experience, difference is noticeable, unless you're really trying to split hairs.  not sure if the op rod weight is a recoil factor because I'm still adjusting the recoil system with the buffer weight.

if a "normal" AR has violent recoil, regardless of whether it's piston or DI, then it's probably not set up properly.  excluding extreme short-barreled setups.  just my 2 cents, YMMV.

some pics:



i also have some 5.56 AA piston setups, just no pics of those.  But I do have more conventional DI uppers than piston.

I don’t notice any more recoil on my 16” AA upper over my 16” D/I upper. It’s a 5.56mm, and while I get the physics behind it… you are going to have one gassed right and the other really overgassed to notice it. At least in my eyes.

Recoil is really subjective. I know grown men scared of .44 Magnum revolvers… but I was shooting one at 12 years old. I have a 9mm S&W Airweight, and people complain about 9mm in a steel J-frame. Zero issues with it in a 14 ounce revolver.

Personally, I like piston for suppressors and shorter barrels (full auto as well, but not a concern for most civilians). Reduction in gas to the face or more forgiving with a shorter barrel. I do have D/I guns that are short barreled, and some set up for suppressors. Both systems will work, and you can run either across the board with good results. If one works better for your specific needs, more power to you.

We are talking about 5.56 correct?  Not being an asshole but there is virtually no recoil already.

I have lots of DI guns, I have a couple adams, I have a couple PWS, ... "recoil", if different, isn't noticeable

+1 on little recoil.  I have an Adams piston on my S&W M&P AR15, and like it a lot.  Lots cleaner BCG after firing.  No difference in recoil.  I also installed it because I have purchased a SilencerCo Hybrid 46 for it.  Just waiting(and waiting...) to get my stamp from ATF.

Another +1 here for no difference in felt recoil AA piston vs DI.  The big benefit for me is the reduced condensation in the upper and on the bolt in very cold weather and a much cleaner shooting rifle.  I pretty much only shoot suppressed and I shoot a lot and do not always have a ton of time for cleaning afterwards.  With the AA piston the majority of the time I just clean the barrel and clean the rest of the gun 1-2 times a year.  I have a 10+ year old AA piston kit on a 16" BCM barrel that has never had a single jam with everything from steel case to mk262 to my own reloads and I have gone long periods with 2k+ round counts with no cleaning and not a single hiccup.

I have a Remington Model Seven in .223 that only weighs around 5.5 pounds. Recoil difference between that and my heavy barrel A2 is not much. And the difference in recoil between those and my Wolf A1 are not really noticeable to me. The .223/5.56 cartridge (in my opinion) is the most pleasant centerfire rifle round to shoot with. The 7.62x39 fired from an AK definitely has more felt recoil than a AR in 5.56.

Speaking of .44's I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk with a 5.5 inch barrel and a 4.58 inch barreled Blackhawk in .357. The .44 definitely has more recoil but I wouldn't call it painful. Noone should be afraid to fire a full size handgun in .44 magnum. I'd be way more afraid to fire one of those Smith & Wesson .50 caliber revolvers. ;-)

I think you've got your answers above, but just to add a +1 to the list I don't believe you will notice a difference that's appreciable.  There are many more mitigating factors involved in the felt recoil and the variables have more impact on recoil than piston vs non-piston.  The AA system taps the bolt carrier and returns to position rather quickly, so it's not really adding to the reciprocating mass in the way that a long stroke (AK style) piston does.  Making adjustments to gassing, buffer weights, carrier weights, spring strength, etc, etc will have more impact on recoil.  I just converted a .300BLK from DI to AA piston and to be honest, the ammo did more to change the felt recoil than anything else.  Like people said above, tuning is where you'll reduce recoil.

If you want to reduce reciprocating mass and you choose AA, maybe invest in the lightweight bolt carrier.  It's something like a 20% reduction in weight which will reduce felt recoil.

I built up a 6.8 piston with carbine gas length barrel. It shoots a bit softer than my midlength gas DI 6.8
I was expecting a bit more recoil from the Adams Arms set up on a carbine gas 6.8

+3 or 4 on not much AR recoil.  To put recoil in perspective, try out a 12ga shotgun!  I put an Adams Arms piston kit into my S&W M&P15 a year or so ago. Runs like a dream, and way cleaner.  Not much difference in recoil.

I ran Adams Arms in 3-Gun for a couple of years because I believed the hype… wrongly, I might add.

Accuracy was never better than mediocre and the reliability under all conditions just wasn’t there. I went back the DI and never looked back.

ETA: You’ll never be able to get a piston gun to run as smoothly as a tuned DI gun.

My piston ARs have noticably less recoil than my DI.

I'm not the only one who has noticed this.

Then your gas system is out of balance.

Which AA system and what wasnt reliable ?    Was your AA system tuned or stock ?

Ran a couple of different systems and wasn’t terribly happy with any of them. Generally I’d have function issues going from hot loaded, heavy OTM on long range stages to lighter loaded 55gr for bay stages.

As far as tuning there isn’t really a lot you can do. I played around with buffer weights and shit but the system was already less than ideal.

Just went DI and never looked back. Set the adjustable gas with a lightweight BCG and buffer with light loads on a cold day and from there it’s 100% reliable and more accurate.

There’s a reason why you don’t really see people running AA in 3-Gun unless they’re paid to shoot them.

My gas system is fine.

My 4x Superlative Arms (3x 5.56, 1x 7.62x39) shoot lighter than my 4x DIs. Same with my BRN180 and Rattler. My gas is adjustable and tuned on all of these.

As a lefty, shooting suppressed with a piston system in comparison to DI is 10/10 would recommend.

This is obviously my opinion however.

The only piston set up I have is on a 6.8 AR. I have it set up to use a suppressor.
The can is still in jail. Hopefully will be able to bring it home by the 1st of the year or a bit after.